Artist Resources

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial
People from many diverse communities – labor, women and immigrant rights, Jewish and Italian-American, relatives of the victims – are passionately connected to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. These communities, from a broad range of perspectives – academic, artistic and activist – are uniting to create this people’s memorial for the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

Through conversations in open meetings and online several key themes are emerging:

The names & ages of the victims – people would like them to be included but are mindful of not wanting a numbing list.

An explicit connection between the past and present fight for the rights of women, workers and immigrants.

A dynamic component that engages the public in an on going conversation/participation, perhaps annually activated

Visually compelling, a destination work that will draw people to the story and be accessible to young people

Resources:
There are three key books about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the Kheel Center website is home to an amazing collection including photos, trial transcripts, oral histories and much more.

Location:
There are several possible locations for the memorial. Below is a map which includes the brown building and the homes of the victims. There is also a plaza in front of NYU’s Stern School of Business, a block from the Brown building which offers a clear view of the upper floors of the building (although the view is sometimes partial when the trees are in leaf).

Please note that the Brown Building has landmark status. We have been in touch with the Landmarks Commission and they are open to the memorial being placed there but there are certain constraints – no damage to the building and they prefer works that expand rather than cover the architecture.

Connect

Who We Are

The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition connects individuals and organizations with the 1911 Triangle Factory Fire — one of the pivotal events in US history and a turning point in labor’s struggle to achieve fair wages, dignity at work and safe working conditions. Outrage at the deaths of 146 mostly young, female immigrants inspired the union movement and helped to institute worker protections and fire safety laws. Today, basic rights and benefits in the workplace are not a guarantee in the United States or across the world. We believe it is more vital than ever that these issues are defended.